GREETINGS FROM HAVANA

People-to-people tours reveal Cuba to American tourists

Travel tips

•Cuba imposes a high tax on exchanging U.S. dollars for the convertible peso (CUC). There is no tax on exchanging euros or Canadian dollars for CUC, or exchanging CUC back to U.S. dollars. (To avoid the surcharge, I changed my dollars into euros at the Miami airport for a $7.50 flat fee.)

•Because of the embargo, Americans may bring back only approved souvenirs, such as educational materials, art and books; rum and cigars are not allowed.

•Cuban businesses do not accept U.S. credit cards and ATM cards. Be sure to bring enough cash with you.

•Donations to schools, medical centers and other facilities are welcome. Pens, notebooks, toiletries, etc., are much appreciated.

•Bring extra toilet paper or tissues. Public bathroom stalls often have no stash. You can buy a square from an attendant.

If you go

Getting there

You can fly legally from the United States to Cuba only if you’re traveling with a licensed travel service provider. The tour companies arrange the charter flight. Either the fare is rolled into the total price or you pay for it on top of the land package fee. The short round-trip flight from Miami to Havana is about $500. The companies also procure the visa; you bring the passport.

Tour options

Friendly Planet: The company offers two trips to Cuba: the eight-day Colors of Cuba and the five-day Discover Havana. The next Havana package departs April 25; $2,199 per person. Includes round-trip air from Miami. (800) 555-5765;
www.friendlyplanet.com

Insight Cuba: A number of trips to the capital and around the country, plus themed tours. The four-day Weekend in Havana starts at $1,695 per person double; next available departure is April 26. Air from Miami not included. (800) 450-2822;
www.insightcuba.com

National Geographic Expeditions: The 10-day Cuba; Discovering Its People and Culture tours, from $5,095 per person double, are waiting-list-only through May. Air is extra. Sign up for advance notice of new dates. (888) 966-8687;
www.nationalgeographicexpeditions.com

HAVANA, Cuba 
Ludwig and I had the kind of relationship where I could ask him anything without fear of reproach. I questioned him about the rebellious rumblings of his youth, his wishes for the future and the state of his bathroom.

“Ludwig,” I shouted from the third-to-the-last row of the tour bus, “why don’t the public restrooms here have toilet seats? Do you have a toilet seat at home?”

His frank responses — it’s “cultural” to the first query, “yes” to the second — were surprising, not for the content but for the context. Ludwig Diaz Montenegro was a Cuban guide and government employee; I was an American tourist in the communist country.

To pre-empt your interrogation: No, I didn’t sneak in through Canada or Cancun. Nor did I have to pose as a soprano to join a touring choral group or stock up on socks to distribute on a humanitarian mission.

All I had to do was sign up for a tour with Friendly Planet. Because regular folks can now visit Cuba, thanks to the Obama administration’s decision last year to reinstate licenses allowing U.S. tour operators to lead “people-to-people” trips to the island nation we’ve boycotted for more than 50 years. Prior to this move, the U.S. government limited travel to those with family members on the island and to groups with an academic, religious, cultural or do-gooder bent.